Venus ruling over Jerusalem?

Here are a few more quotes from the book “Social-Science Commentary on the book of Revelation” by Bruce Molina. He equates Mystery Babylon to Jerusalem (so do I) and says that this represents Venus in the Heavens. He believes that Venus is the Harlot that is ruling over Jerusalem. It makes a lot of sense when looking at it from this angle. Its a lot to read but its worth it. Notice what he says about stars/planets being masculine/feminine at different times and keep in mind Venus burning out on March 25th while the Arch of Triumph is in Arona (strong mountain).

Revelation 17:3

“First, the Woman identified with Venus is the Evening Star. The celestial patron of Babel/Babylon in the Hellenistic period was Venus. From time immemorial, morial, each Mesopotamian city, town, and district had its own special and peculiar liar patron stellar divinity. Thus Dilgan (the star Capella) was the patron star of ancient Mesopotamian Bab-ilu (Brown 1900:2:136). Furthermore, each star or constellation itself was equally a divinity (ibid., 97). There is abundant information tion about Dilgan (= Capella) and the divinities of ancient Babylon (see Brown 1900:2:86-87, 184, and passim). However, this information is of little use for understanding our seer. For right before Alexander’s conquest of Persia, Anahita (Undefiled One), an Avestic goddess, was given central place in Babylon. The star (planet) Venus took the place of traditional Dilgan/Capella. Clement of Alexandria reports: 

“Berossos, in the third book of his Chaldaica, describes them (the Babylonians) as venerating a statue in human shape, after Artaxerxes, son of Darius Ochos, introduced the usage there. He erected the first statue of Aphrodite Anaitis in Babylon, Susa, Ecbatana and egged on the Persians, Bactrians, Damascenes and Sardians to venerate it” (Protreptikos V, 65 ed. Mondesert SC 2: 130). Thus from Hellenistic times on, Aphrodite was known to be the divinity over Babylon. Moore (1982:90) observes: In the previous verse (Rev 22:15) the writer speaks of several groups of people who, because of their wickedness, are left outside the gates of the New Jerusalem, the pure city that replaces the wicked city, Babylon, after the warrior King conquers her. Of that group, sorcerers, fornicators, and idolaters are mentioned: frequently used terms in the Apocalypse (cf. Rev 2:14, 20; 17:1, 2, 5, 15, 16; 18:3, 9; 19:2 and 21:8). These activities, of course, were essential elements in the worship of the female goddess Ishtar (Babylon); Ashtarte (Northwest Semitic); Kwkbt’ (Syria, Northern Arabia); Aphrodite (Greece); Venus (Rome). To these we may add the Egyptian Isis or the ancient Canaanite `Anatu or Athtartu (= Ashtarte). In other words, the Greek Aphrodite under any of her various ious equivalent names was a well-known figure in the whole region running from Persia to Spain. From time immemorial in the Middle East and the Mediterranean as well, this divine personage was identified with the planet we call Venus. 

There are countless instances of ancient Middle Eastern steles inscribed with the sun, moon, and Venus located over some royal personage or some significant event. It was the God/Goddess Sun, the God/Goddess Moon, and the God/Goddess Venus that were equally significant in the stories deriving from ancient Canaanite lore, and frequently alluded to in Israel’s sacred books. Interestingly, the Aramaic version of Isaiah states concerning Babylon: “How have you been thrown down from the heights (of the sky), you who were resplendent dent among the sons of men as the star of the evening [= Venus] among the stars .. “(Tg. /.ca. 14:12). In sum, at the time of our author, Babylon had as its patron and protector Aphrodite/Venus. Under any and all of her names, she was the planet that we know as Venus. As an evening star, Venus is female. Nonfixed stars such as planets that are observed one time rising and another time setting have two gender aspects. Ptolemy explains:

They say too that the stars become masculine or feminine according to their aspects to the Sun, for when they are morning stars [“being of the dawn”] and precede the Sun they become masculine, and feminine when they are evening stars and follow the Sun. Furthermore this happens also according to their positions with respect to the horizon; for when they are in positions from the East to Mid-Heaven, or again, from the West to lower Mid-Heaven, they become masculine because they are eastern, but in the other two quadrants, as western stars, they become feminine (Teirabiblos 1, 6, 20; LCL).”

Revelation 17:8 

“The Sea Beast of the vision is presently in the Abyss and will soon emerge before being totally destroyed. It is described as one who “was and is not,” and is going to come up from the Abyss before being totally destroyed. This chief celestial being is the Canaanite deity Ba’lu or Baal, the Syrian Adon or Adonis. In the cosmological theology of the eastern Mediterranean, Baal/Adonis (Roman Jupiter, Greek Zeus) is the consort of `Anat/Atargatis (Venus). As giver of fertility to humankind, Baal controls celestial phenomena such as rain, dew, lightning, thunder, and earthquakes. He annually disappears during the dry season, son, only to emerge with the autumn rains. All of this is indicated in the sky with the transit of respective constellations and planets. In other words, if any sky being “was, and is not, and is about to ascend from the bottomless pit;” it is Baal/Jupiter. The reemergence of this deity annually astonishes his devotees, that is those persons not listed in the scroll of life “from the foundation of the world.” Those listed in the scroll of life are not astonished, since they know the God of Israel who raised Jesus from the dead is in charge. This book of positive cosmic destiny is in possession of the cosmic Lamb, himself “from the foundation of the world” (13:8).”

Revelation 17:11 

“The Sea Beast is the eighth, or “an eighth,” who is one of the seven, and “goes to destruction” (17:11). The seven rulers of the cosmos are those stars called planets. In the Israelite tradition, God created in six days and rests on the seventh. For the seer, we are obviously at a period when the first five day-controlling planets ets have completed their rule, the sixth day planet is in power now (Venus), while another is going to come. Then comes the eighth, the cosmic Beast. In cosmic lore, this is the Ogdoad (literally in Greek “the eighth one”) that marks completion, tion, fullness, totality. Thus the destruction of the cosmic Sea Beast marks the end of whatever process is going on. The Beast “belongs to the seven.” The only seven previously mentioned are seven kings or rulers in v. 9.”
I also want to add the discussion he has on the three frogs from the mouths in Revelation. 

This is also from the book “Social-Science Commentary on the Book of Revelation” by Bruce Malina.

“In the astronomic traditions of Arab bedouin, there are two well-known stars called the Frogs. “The First Frog” (al-dafda’ al-awwal) is in the mouth of the Southern Fish (Piscis Austrini) and still bears an Arabic name, Fomalhaut (meaning “mouth of the fish”). “The Second Frog” (al-dafda’al-thani), likewise still with the Arabic name Diphda (meaning “frog”), is located on the tail of “the hated Sea-monster,” Cetus. Aratus singles out these two stars as “two of more lustrous form,” but does not call them frogs (Phenomena, 395-98; LCL).”